Phase+2+Determining+Relative+Advantage

In the US, demographic figures indicate that the fastest growing portion of the population is the Latino portion. For decades, the Latino-American subculture has had a growing influence in our country. In this century, that influence is growing exponentially and has moved beyond food choices or more simple aspects of pop-culture and into the heart of American commerce, education, and politics. As the impact of these changes are felt by members of the dominant culture, ignorance and insecurity breed resistance. In our own community, ethnocentric perceptions of Latino culture flourish, stereotypes are seemingly confirmed, and opportunities to learn and grow are stifled and/or lost. Our hope in this unit is that our students will come to regard components of Latino-American culture as much more similar to their own values, behavioral codes, and traditions than they are different. The technologies that we have access to in our school district will be an enormous help to achieving our objectives. Mercer County is an extremely homogenous area and it has been so since Illinois Militia units led by Captain Abraham Lincoln pushed the Native Americans out of it in the early 1830s. Since we lack the presence of strong Latino institutions or numerous Latino families, our unit will depend upon technology to lead us to information. Students will also utilize different forms of software programs to present what they have learned.